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Thursday, April 23, 2009

I have an unhealthy obsession. One that cannot be denied, though I try. One that many fellow women my age share.

An addiction the likes of which shall not be reckoned with. An unholy addiction. To LIP GLOSS.

It's true.

I can't pass the cosmetics aisle at CVS without picking a tube up, even though at the time I may have a few tubes in my handbag already, barely used. If I see a commercial for a new kind of lip gloss It Must Be Mine. If someone within my range of sight is using a lip gloss I have never seen, I have to know what kind it is and where I can get it.

It's a sickness, I know.

But why shouldn't others benefit from my weakness?

So, I give to you;

The Great Lip Gloss Round Up of The 2009 Spring Season.

1. Chapstick 100% Naturals Lip Butter - $2 It does no good to put lip gloss on chapped lips so I have tubes of this strewn about my life. On in my car, one at my office, one in my handbag. I love how it feels moisturizing but not greasy and has a nice clean feel to it. A great base for any lip gloss.

2. Nivea "A Kiss of Shine" Natural Glossy Lip Care - $3 I grew up using Nivea lotion in the dark blue bottle so this purchase was out of sentimental brand loyalty. It ended up being a good idea though! This is the "lightest" of these lip glosses and feels the most moisturizing. It gives great shine that doesn't last terribly long but the moisturizing sensation it imparts DOES last. Not to mention it tastes like delicious grapefruit. Yum.

3. Maybelline VolumeXLSeduction Lip Plumper in "Pouty Passion" - $8.99 Despite it's incredibly cheesy name, this gloss lives up to it's height. You may have seen my twitter yesterday "My new lip gloss tastes like burning" and indeed, it does prickle a bit when it's first applied which is what makes your lips plump up a bit. I can't confirm that they actually grow by 30% but they definitely did look a little bigger, and the color was fantastic (just a shade darker than natural lip color) and the shine was pretty long lasting. If you can get past the initial "burning", I recommend.

4. Revlon Beyond Natural Cream Lip Gloss in "Rosy" - $7.99 This is my favorite of the drug store brands and the one I most often get complimented on. It has the longest lasting shine of the drugstore bunch, tastes like cupcakes and really makes your lips feel moisturized as well. Two thumbs up.

5. Paula Dorf Lip Slides in "Happy" - $21 The creme de la creme of lip gloss, in my opinion. For much of my formative lip gloss using years I was a MAC Lip Glass girl through and through. So what if every time the wind changed my hair blew onto my lips and was stuck there permanently? The shine and long lastingness of it was to die for so I could deal with the stickiness. I thought lip gloss HAD to be super sticky to be long lasting. Then one day, years ago, I blew into Beauty and Main in Harvard Square, late for meeting a friend for dinner and plum out of lip gloss (the horror!). They did not have any MAC but they DID insist I give Paul Dorf a try. So I did. And I have never looked back. The PERFECT amount of shine. The perfect amount of stickiness and the perfect color. I feel like a movie star when I use it. It is my go-to "going out gloss" and I love that I rarely have to reapply it. Sadly Beauty and Main no longer carries this line but check out www.PaulaDorf.com and use coupon code PDLovesMoms to get 20% off until May 16th. You will not be sorry!

Whew I need a break. The passion that Paula Dorf inspires is nothin' to F with.

Ok next up,

6)Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster™ SPF 15 Lip Gloss - $25 While shopping at the Derby Street shops with my mom a few months ago, we popped into the Beauty and Main at that location to inquire about the Paula Dorf lip slides and it was then I found out the sad news that they no longer carried the Paula Dorf line. The woman working there was a huge fan of Trish McEvoy and heartily encouraged me to try out her Beaty Booster Lip Gloss. At first try, I was a fan so I purchased a nudey-pink shade. My mom even declared how nice it looked on me and for a moment I thought, Paula Dorf who needs you? My glee was short lived though. Though I do appreciate that it's SPF 15, I found that it has limited staying power and you constantly need to reapply it. At $25 a pop I can't afford to be running over to B&M every two weeks for a replacement so it was nice while it lasted. And I will definitely keep the remainder of my tube in my beach bag this summer, but I don't think I would purchase it again. Then again if you don't like any stickiness at all and are just looking for a hint of sheer color then this might be right up your alley!

7. Mary Kay Nourishine Lip Gloss in Pink Diamonds - $13 This was a close contender for my favorite non drug store brand. It feels like a much more expensive lip gloss and lasts forever. Also I am a fan of the applicator wand which you don't see much of anymore in lip gloss. The pinky sparkly color is perfect for going out, it feels moisturizing as you use it and it yields a good amount of shine. You do have to reapply a bit often BUT it's a magical tube that for some reason takes FOREVER to run out. And at $13 a pop you won't bankrupt yourself buying a new one every few months. If you have a Mary Kay rep definitely check it out!

So there you have it. Though I do have my favorites, I like all of these lip glosses and none of them as of yet have inspired total and complete loyalty in me. Will the right lip gloss come along one day that tempts me to shun all others? Perhaps. But in the mean time you know what they say, you gotta shop around!

(Special shout out to my blog- girls Kimba and Erin with whom I had dinner and cocktails last night! We had so much fun and look forward to planning another local Blog Girls night SOON!)

*raises her hand* So guilty as charged. Mascara and gloss. My two addictions.

Right now, my lip must haves are the Blistex Aloe, Lip Fusion (plain colored), MAC Lip Glass Plush (Cushy White) -- but that I only use when I want my lips to be AMAZING because seriously - it makes my lips break out in itchy bumps, but the look is so worth it. :) And then finally, Burts Bees Lip Shimmer in plain, which actually has a little irridesence to it.

You KNOW how I feel about lip gloss. I would have to say that Victoria's Secret lip gloss definitely deserves a shout out for being the right amount of sticky, yummy and CHEAP. Also just FYI, there's an Ulta store in Natick across from the mall and they carry Paula Dorf in store. I need to go check that out asap! Thanks girl!

Wow...and I thought I was the only one! I have at least 4 lip products in my purse at any given time. I never wear lipstick, so gloss is a necessity. I can't go anywhere without Burt's Bees chapstick and I LOVE Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush lip gloss. It's just sticky enough, not too expensive and looks really sexy on. Yay for lip gloss!

I love Beauty Rush from Victoria's Secret (I believe the one Ladybug mentioned). I have about 5 different flavors and they are all YUMMY! I feel so glamorous when I put it on too, as it's so shiny. And it's a bit sticky, which I, too, enjoy.